Of Kid Gloves and a Fan
by aceofspades27
Summary: Alice has been gone for almost a year now, and life has returned to what it was in Wonderland. When the Queen becomes fed up with a certain rabbit, she assigns a maid to act as his assistant/babysitter.And so this is the story of Marianne.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok people. I was looking at the forums one night at three in the morning, and was made aware of the lack of faceless love! Poor little guys, I just couldn't help but start thinking of stuff. So I paged through my old Alice's adventures in wonderland book, and found a page where the White rabbit mistakes Alice for his Maid, Marianne. The two ideas combined into my first HnKnA fic! The ideas on faceless are just my own imagination, and the extent of my knowledge is the manga and as much internet research as I could do, so a lot of things are probably wrong. Also Peter is in super-cold-evil mode, which I have not even a vague idea how to write, so might be horribly OOC. Oh hell I'm a bad character writer, so probably OOC anyways. Please don't hurt me.**** At first my OC seems rather Mary Jane-ish, but wait until she has to work for Peter! Or maybe she won't change. You know what I have no idea! And crap this is super long. Ahem, so ill be going now…**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own HnKnA, but if I did id put Peter in a little hutch and give him pats, so that's probably a good thing.**

Chapter One

Why me? Why did it have to be me? These were my thoughts as I gazed at the finger, covered prettily by a silk glove, as it pointed straight at me, like a bullet through my clock. I was sure that at least it had stopped ticking. All the other maids around me had moved away, leaving a space in the centre, with me standing alone in the middle. I lifted my eyes from the finger to the Queens pretty face. Maybe it was all some big joke. But her eyes were serious, this was really happening. My fate, no, my doom, was sealed, just as if someone had painted a big shiny red target on my back. I simply closed my eyes and waited for the bullet.

The morning had begun just as it had for the last five years, with the patterns of cracks on my ceiling. I stared blearily up at them for five minutes before hauling myself out of bed. I hadn't had a good night sleep, again, tossing for hours, even after returning late from the palace. I worked there as a maid, with little pay but just enough for two to get by on.

This cottages other inhabitant was my seven year old brother, Oliver. We lived alone, but it was a happy life, even with me gone most of the time. After all, all we had was each other. Pulling on my maid outfit, I dragged my feet over to the mirror and attempted to tidy my unruly hair. Looking into the dirty glass, I considered the reflection peering back at me.

Long chocolate brown waves fell to my waist, very impractical for a maid, yet I refused to cut it. Pale skin, and a small build, I still managed to not look sickly. _It's your eyes Marianne, they're bursting with life, just like Mamas_. The words had been repeated to me many times by father, especially when I was down about my appearance. Oliver looked just like our mother, with coppery blond hair and eyes so big and blue that if you looked too long they would swallow you up like the ocean.

_But remember Marie, you must never show your eyes to anyone but those you trust with all your heart, because it is in your eyes that the soul lives, and if you don't protect them it shall be gobbled up!_

At the time I hadn't realised the seriousness of my mother's words, being more concerned about something living in my eyes, but as I grew older, saw more of the world, I knew that my eyes, and in turn my soul had to be locked away tight, so no one could steal them. The eyes in question were large and a brilliant emerald colour, although at the moment looking a little worse for wear with deep black bags underneath. Glancing down at my watch I gave a start and bolted out the door, past the only other door in the hallway, before stopping at the top of the stairs.

_I still have time...just._

I trotted quickly back to the door, and quietly slipped in. Oliver was still asleep, breathing quietly, and I planted a quick kiss on his forehead. "Onee-chan" he mumbled sleepily, cracking open one eye. I patted his hair " I'll be back tonight, dinner at seven as always". I was lucky; I didn't have the night shift tonight. I then ran all the way to the Heart castle, skidding in the kitchen door with seconds to spare.

"Cutting it fine Marie, again".

"Have I ever been late yet Hatti"? I turned with a smile to the woman behind me. Hatti was my closest friend in the castle, as she had been from my first day. The older staff had warned us not to make friends, and over the years we had grown to see why. Friends disappeared easily and often. But we had both survived this far, mainly by knowing which corridors to tread at what time. Hatti mostly just joked about it saying that "if I go first, make sure that Helga doesn't get her hands on my hat"! That was, until Helga had been found full of holes, barely recognisable as Helga.

"You're on breakfast duty today, if they have another fight try to sneak me back some tarts"! She said with a wink, going off to attend the laundry. I gulped as I headed towards the dining hall; with the castle roll-holders barely awake, things could get dangerous quick.

Upon arrival I quickly set the table with the six other staff members, then stood to the side and waited for the King, Queen, Prime Minister and Knight to arrive. We heard the sounds of the fight before the doors even opened, and looked nervously at each other.

"This is the final straw White; we are sick and tired of your disrespectful ways".

"Really your majesty" replied Peter White calmly "you did not specify when exactly you needed to see me".

"That was because you killed the card before he could get out the rest of the message. Thanks to you we have lost valuable territory to the Hatters". The queen really seemed riled up this time, and she and White stood facing each other across the table, with the King standing nervously to one side, and Ace lounging against the door.

"You're like a child, always late, always killing the staff, getting replacements is becoming harder and harder". While she ranted at him the rabbit just stood calmly, of all things with a slightly bored look on his face. "That's it, if you insist on acting like one, you'll be treated like a child, from today onwards you are getting a baby sitter". She spun around to face us maids, who gasped and shrank back towards the wall. We all had a one in six chance of being picked, odds I didn't like.

"We think we'll pick...you, in the middle". And that is how I ended up here, about to face death. That wasn't what worried me, really. We were trained from birth knowing that we would likely face an early grave. But Oliver, he was again going to have to go through this, just like when Mama and Papa had been killed. But, I reassured myself, he would be alright; Hatti had sworn to me that she would look after him, if I ever disappeared.

When the death shot didn't immediately come, I slightly opened one eye. And nearly had a heart attack, as barely a centimetre away from my forehead was a shiny gold gun, held in the gloved hand of Peter White. His gaze was fixed not on me, but the Queen, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "It can't be that easy, you know I'll just kill her".

"We have anticipated this, and if you lay one scratch on her we will have the Knight confine you, what with your role now being all but pointless". The rabbit eared man flinched slightly at this, but continued glaring at Vivaldi. When it became clear that she would neither change her mind nor say anything else, he turned the glare towards me. I gave a small squeak as his hand tightened on the trigger, contemplating which was worse, me or confinement. Finally, with a sound of annoyance in his throat he dropped the gun back to his side, before spinning on his heel and heading towards the door, putting a bullet in one of the other maids on the way out. I just stood, still frozen in disbelief.

Why me in particular, the role holders couldn't tell our faces apart, was it just because I was standing in the middle? What a cruel coincidence. "You, maid". I was snapped from my reverie by the voice of Martha, the queens head attendant. I turned to gaze blankly at her. "Out back now for a mission de-brief". The woman spoke like a war general, acted like one too. When I didn't instantly move she grabbed hold of my wrist and dragged me out through the servants doors.

"Now you're the one who got stuck with this job, that's life, so deal with it". "You'll be exempt from any of your usual serving duties and have your pay doubled, so don't think of complaining. You'll also be moved here to the castle, with a room near your charge. Speaking of 'im, you'll be required to attend to, follow and make sure he arrives to appointments of time, nothing more. Although a lowering of the death toll might get you a nice extra bonus. Here's his schedule for the week, find me on Monday for the next one. And try not to be killed".

I just continued to shift my gaze blankly between her face and the paper in my hands. "Are ya daft girl, be off with you" with a small stiff nod and a hasty curtsy I stumbled off down the hall. Where to, I wasn't really sure.

**Sorry, the first two chaps don't have much happening, just intro. But it sets the scene of where the story is and what's happening. Thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

By the time I became aware of myself, I was already in the gardens. With a small choking noise, I collapsed onto the nearest bench. Resting my head in my hands, I allowed the tears to run down over my cheeks. Sure, we faceless were used to the idea of death in everyday life, that didn't mean we liked it. I was now caught in indecision. If I didn't do my job, I would surely be punished. However, if I did go find him, my life was walking a razor blade. It was times like this that I hated to be who I was.

It was very abnormal, but id often thought of running off. To find out what was beyond the borders of Wonderland, where no one ever went. And then there was her. It had been almost a year now since she'd returned to her own world, leaving the role holders grieving. Alice, who everyone loved. But in the end no one person had grasped that special place in her heart, although she had loved them equally in return.

I had met her only once, in rather strange circumstances. I'd been carrying a large pile of washing at the time, and hadn't seen the young foreigner until it was too late. We were both sent sprawling to the floor in a heap of limbs and white sheets. "Oh, I'm so very sorry miss, allow me to...". Just then we heard faint footsteps, accompanied by a cry of "Alice, where are you, I know your around here somewhere"! With a horror struck look Alice jumped to her feet and pulled me behind the nearest set of curtains, clamping a hand over my mouth. I gave up on struggling, and we watched as Peter White came skipping joyously down the hallway. Seeing the pile of washing, he stopped and looked around.

"Hmmm, I was sure she came this way". It seemed that we would go undiscovered, but his ears suddenly shot straight up, and he spun and violently pulled back the curtains. "Oh Alice, how can you be cheating on me, and with the staff" he pulled out his watch, which immediately became a gun, pointed right between my eyes. Realising how this must have looked, I jerked away from the girl.

"No Master White, I mean we, we just...".

"Were taking a look at the scenery" finished Alice.

"The scenery"? He raised an eyebrow sceptically.

I turned and realised that the only thing out the window was a rather barren and morose looking courtyard. Figures with my luck that we'd find the only window in the castle with a bad view. "Still, only I should get Alice's hugs, so now you must be eliminated" he again turned the gun on me, and I tightly squeezed my eyes shut. But just like this morning, the shot didn't come. Looking up from where id dropped to the ground, I saw Alice standing in front of me, hands on hips and furious.

"That's it, today I actualy thought that I might come to see you, but not now, Maid-san, were leaving". And with that she pulled me to my feet and bolted off down the hall way. We finally came to stop somewhere in the east wing, bent over and panting. "Sorry for dragging you into all this, it's just that, well I'm lost" she smiled at me, and her face lit up. "Why did you..."? She gave me a questioning look. "Well, why did you save me, he could have accidentally shot you or something" I felt rather bold, talking like this to someone who wasn't faceless.

She reached out a hand to help me upright "Believe it or not I value life, and I wouldn't want you to be hurt just because of me". I just looked up at her in puzzlement. "Hehe, you're very cute".

"Whaa, me, no" I blushed, then what she had actually said hit me. "Wait, I don't look different to any other servant". Now it was her turn to look puzzled.

"Yes you do, your shorter than most, and your hairs curly and brown.

"Ahhh, please don't eat my soul!" I slapped a hand over my eyes. She just laughed again, an almost melodic sound, and prised my hands away.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but I still can't see your eyes".

Un-scrunching my eyes, I looked at her in relief. The aqua orbs blinked back at me, so full of something I hadn't seen in many people around here. Kindness.

"So, I'm sorry to trouble you more, but I can't seem to find my way to the exit here, think you could help".

"Sure, and don't be sorry, as long as you don't start setting up campfires it's fine". We both laughed at this and I headed off towards the nearest exit. The washing could wait until later. On the way I had a good look at her. So this was the reason for Master White's strange behaviour. Ever since a few weeks back the land had been in a flurry over the new arrival, and the castles Prime Minister had gone through such an attitude change that most would think he had been replaced with an imposter. We staff weren't complaining though, the death toll was lower than it had been in years.

After a short walk and some easy conversation, we arrived at the garden exit. "I'm sorry miss, I can't take you any further than this".

"Don't worry, and Alice will do just fine, thank you for helping me".

"No, thank you, for saving me, I'm very grateful".

"Don't worry about it, see you around". With another smile she slipped out the door. I had seen her a few times after that, and she'd waved and said a quick hello. It had puzzled me to no end how she remembered my face. Luckily though, Master White didn't, and I had escaped to live another day. Pretty ironic, considering the current situation.

Then she had left. The mood in Wonderland was solemn for months after, but life had gradually wound back to normal. Unfortunately so had the death toll, and not without a slight rise. But it had made me think, about the fact that there were worlds beyond here, where fate didn't decide your life for you. Where you could be free.

Because this was not the life I wanted for Oliver or myself. To be here one day, then gone the next, barely even leaving a shadow. With a sigh, I realised that I couldn't stay here sulking all day. I brushed the tears from my eyes, and rose unsteadily to my feet. I'd been there so long that my legs were now asleep. Taking a step towards, my dress got caught between my feet, and I went flying through the air. I gritted my teeth and braced myself for pain, but (I was thinking this a lot today) it didn't come.

I landed in a pair of arms, barely inches from the gravel coated ground. My rescuer helped me to my feet, and I turned to thank them. "Thank you very much I, Master Ace"! I jumped a few feet in the air in shock. "Ah I'm so sorry for inconveniencing you like this" a blush of shame spread over my cheeks, and I bowed low.

"Don't worry about it, can't ignore a damsel in distress now can I"? He motioned for me to straighten up. "Hey, you're the Maid from this morning, the one who got assigned to White".

"Yes master" I said miserably.

"So that's why you were crying before" he smirked.

"I was _not_ crying" I snapped, before quickly covering my mouth with my hands. Today was just not my day. "Oh really, then what's this"? He moved forward and touched my cheek. Pulling back his finger, sure enough there was a glassy sphere on the skin. "Tsk tsk, talking back _and_ lying, not very good behaviour for a maid".

"Yes master, I'm very sorry master". I did my best to be as meek and obedient as possible. "Oh well, I have somewhere to be, no time to chat" (I knew that he was just lost again) "but I'll tell you something, you can find White in the library, if you decide to do your job". Leaving me blushing angrily, he wandered off again into the hedge maze, and I swear I heard a laugh.

**Ok, from now on I think stuff might actually happen. Sorry for the uber long intro, but once I type something, I don't go back. And what I typed happened to be long and boring. Oh, and reviews make me happy, so please be kind to a newbie writer!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

I had decided. Severe heath risk or not I was going to do this. I stood outside the large mahogany doors of the library with a determined look. Just as I had for the last ten minutes. I told myself that I was just appreciating the patterns in the wood, but I knew that I was a bad one for procrastination. But I couldn't stand here forever.

Jutting out my chin, I stepped forward and flung open both of the doors. It created much more noise than intended, and I got a few stares from the people inside. Blushing profusely and trying to make myself small I crept inside, and looked around. I couldn't see the easily recognisable ears anywhere, leaving only the exclusive section. It was a separate room out back which only roll holders and a few senior servants were allowed access to.

I walked over to the entry desk and looked up at the librarian. As if my height disadvantage wasn't enough, she sat on a raised podium and even without eyes managed a distinctive scowl. "Ex-excuse me miss, but I need to get into the exclusive section, if you please" I stuttered. She glared eyelessly down at me. "And why ever would an unimportant little serving girl like _you_ want to go in _there_, hmm" she said in an annoyed tone.

"Ah, I'm looking for Lord White" I dropped my gaze down to the carpet.

"Why"? I noticed that she had an annoying way of pronouncing to letter w, always adding a h.

"Because I'm his new assistant"

I said this a bit more boldly, and the libraries other occupants fell silent. I heard mutters like 'so she's the one' and 'poor girl, so young'. _Hmph, I'm not dead yet_.

"So if you please, ill be going in now". With that I huffed past the librarian and everyone else, and through the red velvet curtain to the back room. The heavy material cut off the stream of muttering, and I leant against the wall with a sigh. So the life threatening part wasn't the only con of this job.

I'd never liked being noticed. In Wonderland being noticed meant being a target, and so over the years I had learned little ways of blending in, making myself scarce. Now that the spotlight was on me, freezing up was the only way I knew.

I looked up and actually took in my surroundings. The room was luxurious, with rows upon rows of shelves, all situated in a pattern around plush sofas and a few desks. I had to be one of the few rooms saved when the Queen had gone on a decorating rampage, just after her coronation. It was a rare piece of evidence showing what the previous castle roll-holder had been like.

That did happen, roll changes. Never in my time, and as it was not an open subject no one really knew all that much, mainly because it showed that the roll holders were mortal, killable. And although we faceless had been trained with submission since birth, there were always the rumours. Rouges, mad-men, roll-holders gone bad. Pushing such dark thoughts to the back of my head I noted the recurring theme in the decoration. It was almost all white. Scarily like a hospital. And apparently the perfect camouflage for white rabbit ears.

As Peter White rose from one of the couches I nearly screamed and jumped a few feet. Turning to fix me with a cold stare he simply said "Oh, you". Id been called many things over the years, girl, maid, servant, but now I was apparently down to just 'you'. Not really sure how to respectfully reply to the comment I just stood there, stupidly silent.

"Well, what do you want"? he began to impatiently tap one foot. Luckily I was prepared for this one, and had checked over the time table on the walk here. "Well sir, you have an appointment with the head of staff in ten minutes, and I thought that we should start over to the study" I said this like I actually expected cooperation.

"No, I don't think I shall". While ignoring a direct summons from the Queen would get him punished, everyone else was too low ranking to protest, so he usually didn't even bother to show up late to meetings such as these. He fixed me with that icy gaze again, and there were a few moments of silence.

_Think Marie, think, you have to try something different to what all the other servants have_. _Something he won't see coming… _With a gulp, I stepped forward slightly and took a determined stance. "Lord White, I really think you should go to the meeting" I stared at him determinedly, not that he could tell, my eyes being invisible and all, but I thought I gave off a determined sort of feeling, I hoped.

For a few seconds he looked genuinely surprised, before the icy cool fell back in place and he raised an eye brow at me. "Be carful how you speak to your superiors, servant" he said while toying hintingly with the watch at his hip. Servant. At least it was a step up from you.

"You can't kill me, sir". Again this got a look of genuine surprise, which I gloated over. Before I found the gold gun once again pointed at my head.

"No, it just means I'll be punished, a mere inconvenience" I felt my courage waver, as it appeared that the thought didn't bother him too much.

"And I'm betting that it's a big enough inconvenience to stop your bullets" I kept up my calm face, although really inside I was in a heap of jelly. Id never so much as spoken back to a superior, and now I was openly goading one. "Be carful, you're betting with your life, not that it's worth much" he said with a sneer.

"Yes, but currently its all that stands between you and a cold wet jail cell". Another few moments of silence, and then he strode forward, directly towards me. 'This is it' I thought 'goodbye insignificant existence'. I closed my eyes, but I simply felt him brush past me, headed towards the door. Halting at the curtain he turned.

"Coming, this _was_ your idea".

I gave a startled nod and scurried after him. He practically jogged down the corridors, with me trying to keep up behind. _Stupid universe, cursing me with short legs_. When we finally arrived at the study, I was completely out of breath. Peter immediately strode through the doors, slamming them shut behind him. _He seemed surprisingly enthusiastic_.

I allowed myself a small break against the wall, feeling very pleased with myself for still being in the world of the living. After a while though, I realised that something was wrong. There was no sound whatsoever coming from the room. Strange, did I have the wrong room, but I would have sworn I'd heard the head of staff's voice when we arrived.

I quietly pulled the doors open a crack. Immediately a sticky red substance oozed down between them. Jumping back, I pulled the doors fully open and gazed around. Bodies everywhere, absolute carnage. And bunny boy nowhere to be seen. I glared evilly at an open window. Looking around I noticed a small piece of paper stuck to the body of a maid.

_I leave the clean up to you- PW__._

I scrunched the note in my hand as I heard the door open behind me. It was Hatti. "Marie, what's happened here" she stepped delicately around the corpses. I turned to her, an evil glint in my eye, "Be verwy verwy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits"!

a/n: Sorry about the crappy speech skills, I get easily sick of _he saids_ and _she saids_ an its hard to keep up the alternatives.


	4. Chapter 4

Who says reviews never made a lazy author update. Its short, late and little happens, but its there all the same ;D

Chapter 4

Peter awoke while it was still dark. Rolling over to look at the clock, he wondered if he had slept through a time change more than intended. But the clock read that it was still hours too early for him to be up. If so, then what had woken him?

He heard a slight noise and sat up, looking blearily at the room without his glasses. "Good morning sir, have a nice sleep"? the loud and overly cheery voice hurt his ears, especially this early in the morning.

He felt something shoved onto his lap, and what was probably tea spilt all over the covers. He clutched franticly for his glasses, still half asleep and with no idea what was happening. "Oh deary me, I seem to have spilt your breakfast, better go have a shower and change, now shouldn't you".

Surprisingly strong hands hauled him out of bed, across the room and literally threw his into the bath room, along with a pile of clothes. Rubbing sleep from his eyes he tried to re-open the door, only to find it locked. "Hey, let me out this minute"! He banged futilely against the wall.

He could still hear her outside, apparently pretending to be deaf. "Oh no, all these sheets will have to be changed now". She was touching his sheets! He realised after the noises from outside stoped that she really wasn't going to let him out before a shower, and proceeded to do so. After he was dressed, he again tried the door, now magically unlocked.

He burst out into the room gun in hand, only to find her nowhere to be seen. On the bed was a note. Breakfast will be served at eight in the dinning room. He had the feeling that this was something more than a petty revenge against him for yesterday, but he was too hungry to care. He set off, chucking all the fresh sheets out a window on his way.

x

It was quiet when he arrived at the dining room, and no one was inside. No breakfast either, he noted with a frown. Just as he was sitting down, the door opened and in came Vivaldi, trailed by the castle council and the maid from hell. Vivaldi seemed in a particularly good mood, and smiled at him as she took a seat.

"We were terribly surprised when you sent your maid to change the meeting to here, but now we see your thinking, we can breakfast at the same time"!

Meeting? He snapped his head towards the maid, who smiled rather smugly. He glared back with the promise of imminent murder. Vivaldi turned to her own staff. "Now go and fetch us some tea, we are not going to be done any time soon".

x

Three hours later, Peter dragged himself from the room, nearly dead of hunger. They had been too busy to even think of breakfast, and he couldn't live off tea. He caught sight of a faceless maid at the end of the hall, and was about to get her to fetch breakfast (or shoot her out of frustration), when he recognised the same smug smile.

"You"! He layed his ears flat against his head, pulling out his clock. Vivaldi could lock him up for as long as she liked, he just had to get rid of this girl. Just as he was lining the gun up with her head, she pulled something from behind her back. A tray. A tray filled with _food_.

Glaring at her he considered which would give him more satisfaction. Death or Food. His stomach decided for him, emitting a loud rumble. He stalked forward and grabbed the tray from her grasp, going to sit over on a bench. She followed, and seated herself lightly beside him, a respectful distance away. For this he gave her a sharp look, but said nothing.

After consuming all of the food, he placed the tray at her feet and stood. "You can't win in this game you know" he looked down at her.

"Well, I have no choice but to try" she gave him a small and rather sad smile. Turning away to look out a window she continued. "Do you think I would be doing this if I had a choice"? He hadn't been spoken to like this for what felt like an age, not since…well, not since better times.

He walked up next to her, inspecting the view. It looked out on a desolate courtyard, the only bad scenery the castle had. He glanced down at the maid again, his mind spinning.

"Its you"! She looked up at his sudden comment. "From that time with the curtains" he watched the colour drain from her face. "You-you mean you remember that"?

"Yes, I remember things involving the…foreigner clearly". "And your so short, who could not notice" he added as an after thought. She immediately fired up, turning sharply towards him. "I am not short, you roll-holders just aren't used to seeing people who aren't as freakily tall as yourselves"!

"Are you calling me a freak"? Her only response was to stick out her tongue, before turning to check the timetable. "You have another appointment in… oh no, five minutes"! Before he had a chance to protest she grabbed his hand and dragged him off at a hundred miles an hour towards the gardens.

This girl was amusing, or at least a break from routine. Ever since he had lost Alice, his days had been nothing but mindless flash cards of hallways and dead servants. Before _her_, he had been content with solitude. But love changed people. Now she was gone, and with no one to replace her he was left with a hole in his heart. But maybe this one could provide him with some distraction, for a while at least. Although with all these meetings, he wasn't quite sure it was worth it.

x

Over the week they both settled into a sort of routine. Each day he would wake up, get dressed, and be served breakfast by her. Scattered throughout the day would be a few meetings or other engagements, but besides that he was free to do as he pleased, it seemed that the castle staff weren't going to push their luck.

Although without her usual duties, this free time left Marianne with nothing to do but hover over Peter's shoulder, a tendency that annoyed the rabbit to no end. At the moment both servant and master were in the library, the minutes ticking by.

Peter's ear twitched in annoyance, ever since he had started keeping his commitments, he hadn't had a chance to kill anyone, at all. His nerves were tightly strung, and if he didn't get blood anytime soon…He looked over at the maid, cross legged in a chair by the door. Well her job was going to get a lot more challenging.

"Maid" he snapped. Jumping to her feet with a start, she stared wide eyed in his direction. "Go make yourself useful and request some more staff from the clock master" That should take care of her for a few hours.

"Wait, you mean go…outside the castle"?

"Yes" he said, a hint of annoyance colouring his voice.

"As in… have to go among other territories"? He realised that this did look like just another way to rid himself of her. "It's an order" he said with a smirk. If all went well this might just work to his advantage, I mean he was amused by her, but it was going to take a lot of amusement to outweigh all the commitments.

With a gulp, Marianne headed out the door, towards the palace maze. Who knows, maybe it would be alright. She might even make friends. With the optimism of the chronically stubborn, she set off into Wonderland.

Next chapter I believe we have other characters *gulp*. A nightmare to the character-interoperatingly-challenged. And I really need to stop with the made up words. Also this might be a bit disappointing to some, as I kind of lined it up for Peter-torment, and all he did was get hungry. Yes I suck.


	5. Chapter 5

Note: The x thing means perspective change.

More Notes: This contains mild course language, you've been warned kiddies, so no lawyers please.

Chapter 5

Marianne looked up at the doors of clock tower, steeling herself to enter. Even though it was neutral territory, if there was one thing she knew it was to never trust a roll holder. The trip there had been blissfully uneventful, and she had encountered no one, but had passed dangerously close to hatter territory. Flinching as the door emitted a loud creak, and she quickly darted inside.

In the foyer all was quiet, although she could hear the faint and rather eerie sound of a ticking clock. Trying to make as little noise as possible, she ascended the staircase. Taking the first door she came to, she raised her fist and timidly knocked. There was a crash from inside, and the door flew open to reveal a young man with an eye patch, looking rather distressed.

Gazing further into the room, she noticed a blue haired man trying to escape from behind a chair that appeared to have been thrown in front of him. "Please Nightmare-sama, the paper work has been piled up for weeks now, just do a little bit". Ignoring the words of his assistant, Nightmare grasped at Marianne's blouse.

"Please, you have to help me"! He looked up with wide eyes.

"Umm s-sure mister" the young girl stammered. With a devious look in his eye, he smiled. "Why thank you miss" and with that, he proceeded to half push, half throw her at the unsuspecting lizard who was attempting to get past the desk. The push had been weak, but still affective on the off balance maid.

The two collided and landed in an ungraceful heap on the floor. A second later the door slammed, and pounding footsteps disappeared down the hallway. Spitting out a mouthful of hair Marianne untangled her limbs and stood shakily. With a sigh, the man at her feet did the same, straightening up his coat.

"My apologies miss, my master is being particularly…rebellious today"

"Oh, that's ok, I'm sorry for, well being thrown at you" Her gaze was fixed sheepishly on the ground.

"By the way, what business brings you here today"? The lizard questioned.

"I'm here from the Heart castle, to see Master Julius, if you please could you tell me where he is"?

"Three doors down on the right" he turned to start reorganising the chaotic room

"Thank you Master…"?

"Gray, Gray Ringmarc"

"Well thank you Master Ringmarc"

She headed off down the hall, mentally chastising herself for not recognising him. While she knew of all the role holders, she rarely left the castle and had never met anyone outside of it personally. That probably meant the other man was Nightmare Gotschalk, the famous sickly incubus.

X

I reached my destination and knocked, hoping that this time the encounter would be more successful. "Come in" said the voice from inside. I looked around this time before entering, but all appeared normal. Stepping inside I bowed to the man seated at the desk in the centre of the room, quietly sipping his coffee. He looked up quickly, immediately returning to his drink.

"What business does the Heart palace have with me" his tone was not even questioning, and I was unsure whether or not to reply.

"I have been sent by Master White, with a request for more staff" I kept my tone formal and my gaze respectfully on the ground, everyone always said that the castle staff were trained the strictest in all Wonderland.

"Finally, I was surprised at the decrease in requests by the Queen, usually she keeps us flat out providing staff for that deranged rabbit to kill" he said this more to himself, something I should have realised.

"Yes, well there have been some…changes at the castle recently" I said with a small smirk. The clock master looked up at this, obviously not having expected a reply. I mentally cursed; I had to remember not to act so casual around roll holders, all this work with White was starting to show some bad side effects.

Continuing smoothly through the awkwardness, Julius waved me out. "Come back in a few hours and I shall arrange a time and place for a meeting between myself and your Master". Another meeting, he was going to _love_ this. _Oh well, this is the price you pay for trying to get rid of me._

I was on the way back to the palace, somewhere in the middle of the forest, when darkness fell. With an annoyed sound I sat myself down against a tree, my only option to wait out the night. No use going anywhere when I couldn't see a metre in front of me. I rested my head on my knees, and quickly dozed off.

XxX

I was woken by rustling in the bushes, somewhere over to my right. It didn't sound like a possum or any other night time creature, and I swiftly drew the small stiletto blade that was standard for all castle maids. I waited as the sounds grew closer, legs tensed and ready to spring. Whatever was making those noises should be upon me in five, four, three, two, one…

I leapt through the air, gathering enough force to send whoever it was (I knew now that it was a person) crashing to the ground. However I simply felt myself falling through nothingness, whoever it was had dodged, fast. A pair of hands shot out and captured my wrists, spinning me around to face them. I made sure I was on firm footing, preparing to fight for my life, when I felt the hands dropped back with a surprised sound. Squinting up into the darkness I could just make out the features of the knight of hearts.

"Oh, it's you again" he tilted his head to the side in confusion. "What are you doing out here in the middle of the night"?

"Well it wasn't exactly night when I left" I snapped, still edgy from the adrenaline pumping through my body. "But wait, what do you mean by 'again'"?

"Don't tell me you've forgotten, I did save you back in the hedge maze".

This was bad, if people started to recognise me then…well any offences I made would be more easily punishable

"I'm sorry master but I have no idea what you mean, I have never even talked personally with you" I did my best to play the dull and mindless maid, but I had the feeling that my irritability had already made him suspicious.

"Oh well then, my mistake" he still eyed me with scrutiny though "but it's good that I ran into you, you have to know the way back to the castle"

"Not in the dark you…no sorry master, I don't" I had to stop with the attitude, really I did.

"Hmmm" his brow creased as he paced in a circle.

Then I was struck by an idea. "Well master, which way were you heading before" he pointed off into the darkness.

"Then let's go this way" I started off in the opposite direction.

XxX

We walked for half an hour, all our attention on not face planting into one of the bushes. I was fast regretting my choice of direction, as it seemed to be the most prickle plant, hidden rock and ditch filled way in the entire forest. Ace was ok in his long coat, but these stupid maid outfits weren't exactly made for bush-bashing.

Eventually we made it out onto even ground, and the knight spoke.

"So miss, what were you doing outside the castle anyway, or were you trying to run away"?

"That stupid rabbit sent me out on a pointless errand, just so he could have a few hours of trigger-happy fun" the words had left my mouth before my brain had double checked them, and I immediately regretted it.

"Oh, so that was you back in the maze". We'd stopped just outside the tree line, and I couldn't bring myself to turn and look at him.

"Tsk tsk, still haven't kicked that nasty habit of lying have we"? He rested one arm against a tree, looking down at me. His hand moved out to grab my chin. "You know, Julius could always do with a few more clocks" he mused, the other hand moving down to rest on the hilt of his sword. No way. If I survived this White had hell to pay. But right now, survival _was_ my main concern, what with that dangerous look the knight had in his eyes.

My mind registered that dawn was breaking, a small mercy to not be left helpless in the dark at least. Then from nearby came voices. The knight dropped his hand and we both spun to look for the new threat.

Two boys, lounging against a metal gate which stood in front of a large house. With a gulp I realized where we were. The Hatter mansion. Crap.

I wasn't sure when, but Ace had somehow faded off back into the trees, leaving me alone. I spun about looking for him, before turning back to find two large axes millimeters from my face.

"Who are you Lady"? Asked one of the boys, dressed in red.

"Yeah, we're the gate keepers, here to get rid of trespassers" said his twin, dressed identically in blue

"Trespassers like you"

"So hold still, we promise to make it nice and quick"

What is it they say? Something about a frying pan and the fire?

As the twins drew back their blades, preparing for the kill, another voice shouted out from back at the gate.

"Hey, what are you slackers doing over here"?

Now this one I recognized, I had seen him once at negotiations between the heart and hatter territories. Well, and it was hard not to remember those ears.

"We were doing our jobs newbie hare, and getting rid of this trespasser"

"Trespasser, hey"? For the first time he noticed me.

"Let me take care of this one boys, I haven't had some fun in ages" he said with a smirk.

Oh come on, three times in one day?

"No stupid rabbit, she's ours"

"How many times do I have to say it, I. Am. Not. A-"!

"Rabbi~t" the boys taunted, sticking out their tongues.

While they were distracted, I attempted to creep away into the trees, only to be stopped by three weapons in my face, and a simultaneous cry of "Hey, where do you think you're going"

It seemed that they had come to the agreement that I was fair game, first in best dressed.

I squeezed my eyes tightly shut and waited for the light.

"Didn't I tell all of you not to kill things here without my permission"?

I felt a pair of hands come to rest on my shoulders, and cracked open an (invisible) eye.

"But bo~ss we were just doing our job, until _he _got in the way"

"Did not"!

"Did too"!

With a sigh, the man took this break to examine me, and his charming smile immediately turned to one of annoyed disappointment.

"Oh it's just a faceless, I thought you might be someone interesting, what with the rush of people who always seem to find themselves in _exactly_ the same situation at our gates…but I guess not this time, go ahead boys"

Elliot and the twins immediately turned at this, happy for a chance at blood. And so in the time it took them to re-draw their weapons, I did the only thing I could. Ran like buggery. Usually, I would have no chance, but at least in the forest my agility and dodging skills would help.

I sprinted between trees, keeping my movements zig-zagy and irregular, but I was tiring fast. I had to find some other way of survival. With a sudden light bulb, I caught hold of one of the lower limbs of a tree, and swung myself up into its branches. I lay perfectly still as Elliot ran by underneath.

As the sounds of footsteps disappeared into the distance, I let go of the breath I had been holding, and allowed my muscles to relax.

I nearly gave myself away again as something lightly brushed the back of my leg and a voice asked "So, who are we hiding from"?

Trying to turn around, I lost my balance completely and went crashing to the ground. The drop was relatively short, but still painful. Wincing as I rubbed the developing lump on the back of my head, I looked up at whoever had scared me off my perch. From my vantage point all I could make out was a pair of topaz eyes, and the glint of something metallic. Metallic like, weapon metallic?

Scooting backwards until I hit resistance, I sprang to my feet. The person in the tree leapt off the branch and landed lightly in front of me.

"Hmm, you're from the castle, but I don't think you're a guard, a maid then"? I nodded dumbly, surprised by the bright pink colored hair, complete with cat ears and piercings.

"Ohhh, I thought you'd be fun to play with, but still, how did you get all the way out here"?

Grrr, why the hell did everyone want to know that!

"Because my stupid boss is lazy and doesn't want to do work, so he sent me off on some stupid task so he use his stupid gun to cause stupid chaos and death, and I would really appreciate it if you didn't try to kill me"! I shouted, a crazed look in my (again, invisible) eyes.

"Well if you ask me, you're the stupid one for going so close to hatter territory".

Twitch twitch. These roll holders were really asking for it today. I stamped my foot in frustration, unfortunately bringing it down on a stick with a sharp crack.

"What was that from over there"? Damn, rabbit boy.

I made violent shushing motions at the youth across from me. He just picked up a stick, holding it between two fingers and smiling. Curse these animal eared fiends.

"Listen, if I help you, you have to do me a favor" he spun the twig threateningly between his fingers.

"What, what"! I pleaded, the crunching noises growing closer.

"When I contact you, arrange a time that I'll be able to slip into the castle without being stopped".

For me there was no toss up of loyalty or life, as faceless we did our jobs, nothing more, and I held no honor bound ties to the Queen.

"Fine, I will"

With a satisfied smile, he grabbed my hand and took off through the trees, dragging me along behind. Within a few minutes we stood in front of the Amusement park. His ears perked up at the crashing sounds still coming from behind us, and he quickly dragged me through the gates.

"Don't worry, the Hatters lackeys aren't game to come in here without their boss".

Recovering my breath I managed to choke out a thank you.

"And by the way, the names-" "Boris"! I looked over to see a man approaching us. He had plaited red brown hair and a violin slung over one shoulder.

"What have you dragged in this time"? At least with all this ripping and mud he couldn't see my uniform.

"Just a friend" the cat boy said with a smile.

"Oh well, you two are the perfect audience for my new composition, it goes like this" I saw the color immediately drain from Boris's face, and he shot off like a cat threatened with a bath. I however, was not so lucky.

The noise hit my ears with the sound of a thousand chainsaws being put through a thousand giant paper shredders, utterly indescribable. At that moment, all of the days stress and annoyance came bursting out, and I snapped.

"OH DEAR LORD WOULD SOMONE PLEASE STOP THAT GOD AWFUL RACKET"! I cried, attempting to block it out with my hands. "These roll holders, their out to kill me, first the incubus, then that bloody knight, and especially the Hatter-"

"BLOOD DUPRE"!

Eep. The playing had stopped, but eep.

"Staff, get her, she's a spy for Blood Dupre"! His finger pointed accusingly at me. I backed away as the other faceless converged on me.

"No, really, you've got this all wrong, I work for" BANG!

Oh well, what was I going to say anyway? "Oh yes, I just work for the Heart Castle, your other enemy"! I bolted around the corner, and dived underneath a tent. The place was absolutely crawling with workers, and I had no way of escape. Eventually, they were going to find me.

"Chu"

I glanced behind me, and saw that I wasn't alone. And small boy with mouse ears was sharing my hiding spot. I braced myself and waited for him to shout for help. But, to my surprise, he simply brought a finger to his lips and shushed me.

"Don't tell Boris I'm here, please I don't want to be eaten".

His large green eyes pleaded silently with me, but I was just happy to be safe. I nearly had a heart attack when a pair of purple pink ears appeared suddenly in my vision.

"There you are" grinning down at me, he'd obviously not seen the mouse, who had shuffled behind me. "Hey" he said, sniffing the air "you smell funny, kind of like…rat". I gulped, but put up a gallant act.

"Oh, that uh, must have been those, rats that I chased out of the basement this morning, you know how it is" I laughed nervously.

Although obviously not convinced, a booming shout of his name called him away. I let out a sigh of relief and turned back to the figure behind me.

"It's ok, he's gone now" I said with a smile.

"Thank you" he muttered, obviously still shaken from the sudden shock.

"Now to just make it out of here intact" I whispered to myself.

"Um, I can get you out, in return for helping me".

I nodded vigorously in agreement and scrambled out from under the house. Grabbing my hand he pulled me silently through the park, creeping past the workers like, well like a mouse. We reached a small side gate set behind one of the rides.

"Thank you so much" I turned back around. I nearly fell over backwards when he leant forward and kissed me on the cheek.

"No thank you" he shouted over his shoulder as he ran back towards the park. I slipped outside, and headed back to the clock tower to settle things with Julius. _Oh well, at least it can't get any worse._ Right on cue, it started raining.

XxX

Peter let out a contented sigh as he leaned back in his chair. He was de-stressed, and the castle was once again understaffed. He listened to the storm raging just outside when CRASH! Lightening struck and the lights went out.

With a sound of annoyance, he reached into a draw and pulled out a small candle, lighting it. A strange creaking sound rang out from over by the door.

_Strange, I thought I locked that._ He spun around as a flash of light cast the shadow of a person against the wall. Its clothing ripped and torn, bloodied in some places, masses of tangled hair sticking out to frame a pale as death face.

"Demon" he whispered.

"Oh you had better believe it rabbit"! Her eyes glinted with murder. No, not a demon, something much worse. She stepped closer, hands held behind her back, concealing some unknown weapon of torture. Slowly, she brought her hands around to the front revealing…the largest stack of paper work he had ever seen.

He tilted his head in confusion, before the pile was slammed down onto his desk, and he was slammed back into his chair. Quick as a flash she pulled something out of her pocket and before he knew it she had him handcuffed to the seat. Turning away, she twirled the keys on one finger as she spoke.

"I told your dear friend Nightmare that as a favor in return to the clock tower for all the staff you've been killing, you would help out and finish the last three months worth of paper work".

Oh dear god, no! Calm down White, when in doubt, take refuge in logic.

"Stupid girl, I can't do paper work for the clock tower, I know nothing of the affairs going on there".

"Oh don't worry, its only things like sums, alphabetizing, _spell-check_"!

"No, I refuse, and as you're superior I command you to unchain me this instant" he was really starting to panic now.

SLAM! He looked at the stiletto blade, still quivering from where it had been driven into his desk.

"Do you know, master, how many people tried to kill, throw, or otherwise harm me today"? Gulp. She took his silence as agreement.

As she stood in the door frame she called back with a cheery smile "oh, and have it done soon, I promised the clock master that you'd meet with him at dawn, he says it's the only time he's not working"

"Why you-" but the door was already slammed, locked and bolted. He wasn't leaving until the paperwork was done.

XxX

Outside the door, Marianne smiled deviously. _There you go master, one shitload of karma, from me with love._

She tried to waltz away down the hall dramatically, but a violent sneeze caused her to fall flat on her face. _Oh well, I should just be thankful I'm still here._

I'm a heartless bitch aint I? Being mean is just so fun. Also I'm sorry if I have offended anyone with my jab at unoriginal plot templates, I really have nothing against them. Reason I haven't updated in forever? I kept putting off doing dialog for Pierce. Damn character writing skills *shakes fist* And yes, before people say it I've already been told that I'm the big bad OOC monster, out to ruin all your favorite characters, so don't worry bout alerting me of the fact, it's a disease that I'm slowly getting over :'( Fun Fact: That is the longest chapter word wise I have ever written. I'm so proud.


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